Neon tube and electrode holder



D ec. 5, 1950 w. B. 4.NEFNNIGAN NEoN TUBE AND ELEcTRoDE HOLDER FiledMarch 23, 1948 IN V EN TOR. M//'// /0/77 'dern/gdr;

Patented Dec. 5, 1959 UNITED STATES PATENT naar OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a manual gripping and handling tool formanipulating glass tubes and the like, and particularly to a manual neontube and electrode holder for handling the latter under heat withoutburning the hands.

The main object of the invention is to provide a manual tube andelectrode holder by which a workman is enabled to grip a. neon tube ortubulated electrode for exposing the tube or electrode to heating andfusing operations in convenient manner.

Another object is to provide a holding tool of the character indicatedwhich serves for handling various sizes of tubes and electrodes.

A further object is to have such a holding tool by whichit is possibleto hold tubes and electrodes longitudinally or transversely at will, asmay be required due to special equipment thereon.

It is also an object to facilitate working with heated tubes and thelike and lower the cost of manufacturing neon signs and ornamentalstructures made of glass tubing.

Other objects and advantages will appear in further detail as thespecification proceeds.

In order to disclose comprehensively the features of the invention, thelatter is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof,and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a neon tube and electrode holderembodying the invention in a practical form, the holder being shown inopen condition ready for use;

Figure 2 is another side elevation of the same holder when gripping atubulated electrode in longitudinal position;

Figurer 3 is a plan view of the device as seen from the top in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

In the four views, the same reference numerals indi-cate the. sameparts,

In shops making neon and fluorescent tube signs and ornamental tubularstructures of various types, glass tubing is cut and heated to fuse andbend the tubing in various ways and to fuse in tubulated electrodes intothe ends of the tubes. Many expedients have been resorted to from timeto time for holding and handling such tubes and electrodes, and eachshop has its own makeshifts for the purpose, but nothing useful appearsto have been universally adopted, and thus practice in this regard isstill not uniform, or any too satisfactory. O-n the other hand, it isquite feasible to have convenient means for freely handling glasstub-ing and electrodes, even when close to the flame and considerablyheated thereby, and

fmanipulating such parts when bending and/or form of a pair of4'clamping tongs, is generally' indicated at 5 and mainly consists of apair of fusing the same, as will be immediately set forth.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring now again to theaccompanying drawing, the holding tool, substantially made in thetransversely-arcuate or semi-tubular, elongated tong members E and 1which are integrally joined at their rear portions by a resilientintegral loop 8, while a clamping ring 9 is slidable along the a shorterradius. The result is that the lower widerl jaw readily ts a tubulatedelectrode generally indicated at l2, while the upper jaw will Ybecentered on the same electrode l 2, but will actually t a neon tube ofsmaller diameter than said electrode.

However, not all manipulations are conveniently performed with a tubeprojecting directly forward from the holder, as shown in Figures 2 and3. Instead, certain handling of the tube members is best performed whenthe tube or the like is transversely disposed, as indicated at i3 inFigure 3, and in order to equip the holder for holding the tube in suchtransverse position in f addition to the capacity thereof, as alreadydescribed, the lower jaw lll of member B is intermediately recessed atI4, I 4 in cheeks l5, E5 at the sides thereof to provide seats foraccommodating the tubes or electrodes in such transverse positions. Theupper jaw l I need not be changed or modified for such gripping of thetubes, as the recessed cheeks of the lower jaw suflice to determine suchholding position and jaw l I then servm ing to clamp the tube involvedin place. When the jaws are tted upon a tube or electrode, drawing upthe ring 9 toward the jaws will set the latter to hold until it isdeliberately released by drawing it down toward the other ends of thetong members so as to separate the jaws.

Of course, if desired, the recessed cheek porf tions of the lower jawmay be made separately as plates which are bent and applied by riveting,brazing or welding the same into the lower jaw, but it is preferred tohave the jaws and the-2.2n appurtenances integrally formed of sheetmetal substantially as shown and already described.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and Each jaw is formedarcuately about a different radius, the rst jaw l@ l about a greaterradius and the other jaw i l aboutparts and features may be modified orused with out others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, l claim:

1. A holder for cylindrical neon tubes or the like, said holdercomprising a pair of longitudinally elongated coeXtensive jaWS havingvfacing concavities ofsemi-circnlar cross section extending therealong,spring means connected to and between the rear ends of said jaws andnormally7 spreading said jaws, the concavity of one of saidV jaws beingsuiiiciently small indiameter tont the smallest diameter tube or thelike to be held and the concavity of the other jawbeinglarger indiameter than the concavityofsaidA one jaw and suiiciently large indiameter to t the largest diameter tube to be held, and means embracing.said jaws and slidable forwardly therealong to contract saidja-wstofhold a neontubeor lthe like lengthwise therebetween with sa-idconcavitiesengagingdia'metrically opposite sides of the tube' or thelike..

2;, A- holder for cylindricalY neontubes or the like, said holdercomprising a pair of longitudinally elongated ceextensive jaws, havingfacing concayities of semi-circular cross section.extending.thenealong,y spring means `connected to and beta/:eenv therear ends'of said jaws and normallyI spreading said: jaws, .theconcavity of. `one of; said jaws-beingsnciently small in diameter tontthesmallest diameter tube or the like to beheld and'y the `concavity ofthe other jaw being lar-ge;I in diameter than theconcavity. of said oneandfsuliciently large in diameter to iitthe` larg,- estdiameter tubetobeheld, andmeansembracF said jawsand slidable, forwardly therealo ftocontract saidja-ws to hold `a neon tube or, t f like` lengthwisevtherebetween with said concavitiesrengaging-v diametricallyoppositesides of the tube orA the; like,r a forward end portion ofsaidother jaw having extensions on itslongitudinal edges continueuswithopposite sides of its conn cavity providing circumferentially extendingcheeksreaching laterally beyond the remainder of the-longitudinal edges;of said-other jaw in the direction of said one jaw, said cheeks beingformed in their outer edges with rounded notches to receive a neon tubeor the like crosswise of the jaws with the said one jaw holding the tubein the notches when the jaws are contracted.

3. A holder for neon tubes or the like, comprising a pair oflongitudinally elongated coextensive handles, spring means connectingsaid handles at their Vrear ends and normally spreading said han diesinto divergent relation, one of said handles having a semi-tubular jawon its forward end of a diameter sufficiently small to t the smallestdiameter tube; to', be held lengthwise, the other handle having asemi-tubular jaw larger in diameter -thanrandi-facing the iirstmentioned jaw, the secand -mentionedjaw being suiciently large indiameter to iit the largest diameter tube to be heldlengthwise, andmeans for holding said jaws compressed in opposite sides of a tubepositioned lengthwise therebetween.

4,. A holder Vfor, neon tubes or the like comprisingapair oflongitudinally. elongated (zo-extensive;

handles, spring means connecting the rear ends of said handles andnormally positioning said handles in. spread relation, one of saidhandles having a semi-tubular -j aw on its forward end with theconcavitythereof facing the other-jaw, said semi-tubular jaw terminatingVat its edges in cheeks-reaching laterally beyond .said one jaw and onopposite sides of the other jaw, the outer'edges of saidcheeksbeing-formed with notches to receive 1a tube crosswise of said handlesand in which the tube is clamped by the other handle when the handlesare contracted, and means operatingbetween saidihandles for holding saidhandles in contracted relation,

B. JERNlGAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of' record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 832,317- I-linds Oct. 2, 1906993,720 Schneider Mayy 30, 1911

